Steve Ballmer's annual letter to shareholders makes it very clear Microsoft is at a point of no return - and in the middle of a transition into a hardware company. "This is a significant shift, both in what we do and how we see ourselves - as a devices and services company. It impacts how we run the company, how we develop new experiences, and how we take products to market for both consumers and businesses." Line. Sand.

I guess you missed the announcement when they transitioned from PPC to Intel

That was part of the basis for my comment that they were transitioning to a software company. But I don't say they are a fully software company because, as the others say, there's still the iP* products that still keeps them with one foot in the hardware company category.

I don't understand why I get replies that wants me to make a black or white statement that they're either a hardware company or that they're a software company. They're a hardware company that is still slowly transitioning into a software company without drawing too much attention to that fact.

That was part of the basis for my comment that they were transitioning to a software company. But I don't say they are a fully software company because, as the others say, there's still the iP* products that still keeps them with one foot in the hardware company category.

I don't understand why I get replies that wants me to make a black or white statement that they're either a hardware company or that they're a software company. They're a hardware company that is still slowly transitioning into a software company without drawing too much attention to that fact.

You stated that they're transitioning where as I'm stating that they're already have transitioned - the i-devices are also very much software selling hardware rather than hardware being used to sell software. What makes an iPhone different from the rest? the iOS and ecosystem that surrounds it. What makes a Mac different? the operating system and ecosystem that surrounds it. The hardware itself is a means to get the software.

Now if we're going to play semantics as to whether something is all hardware or all software then that is a circle jerk that could go on for many hours with nothing gained at the end of it all.